The UK Government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has issued a consultation document (deadline = February 3, 2003) on the treatment of catering waste containing meat in composting and biogas plants.

The composting of kitchen waste is set to be allowed as long as it meets specific treatment standards.

The Government strongly supports the composting of waste. Composting will be a vital tool in helping the UK meet stringent EU targets for reducing landfill of biodegradable municipal waste. It is also a vital component of meeting Waste Strategy 2000 targets for recycling and composting. The Government has set targets to recycle or compost at least 25% of household waste by 2005. Permitting the composting and biogas treatment of catering waste containing meat will help create a more sustainable treatment and recovery chain for biodegradable waste.

Under current UK law (the Animal By-Products Order 1999, as amended) catering waste from premises handling meat or products of animal origin may not be used on land, effectively banning composting and biogas digestion as disposal routes. The proposal will amend the Animal By-Products Order to permit in approved premises the composting and biogas treatment of catering waste containing meat or originating from premises handling meat, subject to minimum treatment and hygiene standards.

Catering waste which contains meat can potentially pose serious risks to animal health. Both the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in 2001 and the Classical swine fever outbreak in 2000 are thought to have been caused by infected meat in catering waste. As such it is very important that the possible risks from catering waste are minimised.

In October 2001 Defra commissioned a risk assessment to examine the potential risks to public and animal health from the composting and biogas treatment of catering waste containing meat. Pathogens considered by the risk assessment include BSE and scrapie, exotic diseases such as Classical swine fever and foot-and-mouth disease, and conventional pathogens such as salmonella and E. coli. The risk assessment was published in May 2002 and recommended treatment standards within which composting or biogas processing could be safely done.

Composting will not be permitted on premises where livestock are kept, and land to which compost or biogas digestion residue has been applied may not be grazed for a minimum of 2 months.

Domestic householders using scraps from their kitchen on their own compost heaps are exempt from this amendment and are not affected by the new rules, provided that ruminants or pigs are not kept on the premises. Where such animals are kept (e.g. pet pig), the householder must not compost on the premises